Meant To Be
by anastasia.black101
Summary: Fem!Harry/Tom Riddle After Holly Potter defeated Voldemort she felt empty inside, when she finds out why she does all she can to go back to a time where Voldemort was still alive, little did she know that she would find true love when she arrived. Time travel.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hi! This is my first fanfiction ever so I hope you like it and won't be too harsh on me :) Please review at the end to let me know what you think... enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything and some of my ideas have come from other fanfictions out there which gave me the inspiration to write my own story.

**Edited 22/8/2013:** A huge THANK YOU to LaraLumos for all her help editing this chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_"Avada Kedavra!" _

_"Expelliarmus!" The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead centre of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Holly saw Voldemort's green jet meet her own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the mistress it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Holly, with the unerring skill of a Seeker, caught the wand in her free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Holly stood with two wands in her hands, staring down at her enemy's shell of a body, watching as if in slow motion it fell backwards and just as it was about to hit the floor... _

Green eyes snapped open, glowing ominously in the darkness. For over a month now Holly had been trying to get over the death of her archenemy but to no avail. She kept picturing the flash of pure terror that had been in those scarlet orbs when the Elder Wand flew out of his hand. But more than that it was the feeling of complete and utter loss that she now constantly felt.

At first she thought that it was caused by the loss of so many of her friends who had died in the Final Battle, but then she had lost people before... she remembered the ever present pain of losing Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, Hedwige... the grief she had felt at each of these deaths was just as great as what she had felt when she was told about all the deaths caused by the Final Battle, and yet she had never felt so empty, she had never felt as if a part of her was literally missing.

She then wondered if it was the loss of the Horcrux that made her feel this way. It had been a part of her throughout her whole life, after all. But if that was the case then she should have felt different the moment she came back into her body, in the Forbidden Forest. But she hadn't. Sure, she had felt a small sense of loss similar to what she felt after every Horcrux was destroyed. She had felt the by then familiar jolt of pain and the little ache that settled in her now empty chest. But nothing as drastic as the overwhelming emptiness that now filled her. That had only happened after Voldemort's death.

Following this line of thoughts she arrived to the conclusion that it was _his _death that made her feel this way. And suddenly the feelings invoked by the destruction of each Horcrux made sense. The ache that, now that she thought about it, had steadily grown as Voldemort came closer and closer to death, the ache that had then escalated into a bottomless hole in the middle of her chest. It all came back to Voldemort.

The question was: why? Why did she feel so miserable?

Trying to find the answers to these questions, Holly had secluded herself in the Hogwarts library for days on end. When that failed to solve her problem, she moved onto the Black family library. It was when she had almost given up hope that she stumbled upon a dusty tome that looked to be hundreds of centuries old. It was so worn out she couldn't even read the title. She flicked through it anyway and stopped when the heading _Soul Magic_ caught her eye. She had always thought that was a legend... She quickly skimmed over the introduction and focused on the main explanation.

_Soul magic id est the manipulation of the soul trough magical and/or ritualistic means is one of the most ancient types of magic known._

_While wrongly considered to be a branch of the Black Arts, due in part to the practice of splitting ones soul as a form of immortality, Soul Magic is, in fact transversal across the Magical spectrum as evidenced by the well-known power of love, alias 'Vim Amoris', the most powerful of the White Arts. _

_Naturally, only those of extreme magical strength and indomitable will can safely practice the extremes of the spectrum for it is easy to lose one's mind in the feel of such tremendous magic._

_To keep balance in the magical world, the birth of a wizard who is able to practice the Black Arts will be accompanied by its opposite. It's speculated that these unique individuals are connected in various ways, but most importantly through the creation of a soul-bond, which in itself is a very rare phenomenon. Due to the rarity of the existence of soul-bonded pairs, the concept of soul-bonds is often wrongly mistaken for a myth created by hopeful witches; however it is in fact a reality. _

_The opposite affinities of the two magicians will allow them to wield both Light and Dark magic as well as, the much rarer, wandless magic. Each soul bonded pair therefore consists of two powerful individuals with grey cores, which can be twice or even thrice as large as those of an average wizard._

_However powerful these wizards may be on their own, when together, a soul-bonded pair, is said to be unstoppable. Such was the case for Merlin and Morgana, who are the most famous soul-bonded couple in history, remembered and celebrated by the entire Wizarding population for their extraordinary magical deeds._

_Individuals with enough power to wield Soul Magic can be identified from a young age as they will display a strong affinity towards Light or Dark magic by being able to cast complex spells of either one, earlier than normal. Exempli gratia Morgana was able to cast the Patronus Charm at the age of fifteen, demonstrating her aptitude for Light magic and in turn the White Arts. _

_There are, however, negative effects caused by soul-bonds. In the eventual death of a wizard in a strictly platonic soul-bond, the surviving wizard will suffer from a great depression and they will have to endure feelings of loss for the remainder of their lives. On the other hand, in the case of a physically activated bond which has not been fully consummated, the death of one wizard will inevitably lead to the death of the other. However, if the bond has been consummated, then neither wizard can die while the other survives; in order to die, either must die at the hand of the other, which will result in the death of both. Exempli gratia in the famous battle between Merlin and Morgana they vanquished one another. _

_It is very easy to confirm the existence of a soul-bond as a simple blood test will suffice. _

Holly snapped the book shut and slumped back in her chair breathing heavily. It sounded like she was able to use the White Arts and she had been soulbonded to Voldemort. Holly put her face in her hands and groaned before standing up. Summoning a dark cloak from the nearby closet she, with a quiet pop, apparated to Gringotts.

She stormed determinedly through the bank, not even sparing a glance for the numerous wizards that had stopped to stare, open mouthed, at the proclaimed 'Vanquisher of Voldemort'. It made her think that she could have possibly killed her soul-bonded, which, at that moment, she didn't want to contemplate for fear of being overwhelmed by emotions that she was just barely managing to keep in check.

"I need a blood test" she said, lacking any of her usual politeness when dealing with people, well in this case goblins. The goblin that she had interrupted sneered at her and led her to the back office.

"Here we are, Godrod will meet you inside" he sneered again and left just as Holly stormed into the room.

"Hello, Godrod I need a blood test" she said as a way for introducing herself. She noticed he was not moving fast enough for her tastes. "Now" she snapped, the stress of the situation making her act very unlike herself.

"Very well Lady Potter" Godrod said with a small bow "I just need a few drops of your blood on this piece of parchment"

Holly grabbed the dagger that the goblin was holding out for her and pricked her finger, allowing five drops to fall on the parchment which she noticed was glowing slightly. As she did so, Godrod grabbed a vial filled with a clear liquid and covered the parchment with it. She watched in interest as words started to appear on it.

_Holliana Lilian Potter_

_Blood-status: Half-blood_

_Father: James Charlus Potter (Pureblood)_

_Mother: Lily Victoria Potter nee Evans (Muggleborn)_

_Heiress to the House of Potter_

_Heiress to the House of Black_

_Heiress to the House of Peverell_

_Heiress to the House of Gryffindor_

_Heiress to the House of Emrys_

_Magical Heiress to the House of Slytherin (through soulbond)_

_Magical Heiress to the House of Le Fay (through soulbond)_

_Soulbond status: Platonic soulbond to Tom Marvolo Riddle (deceased)_

_Magical binds: 65% magic locked (authorised by APWBD)_

_Total funds: 84,211 galleons_

Holly opened and closed her mouth for a few moments before snapping out of her shock as she felt her anger rising. She had almost forgiven Dumbledore for leaving her the impossible task of finding and destroying all the Horcruxes without any help whatsoever, but this changed everything. More then half of her magic had been blocked for who knows how long. She had to battle against Voldemort with a huge disadvantage. Holly took a deep breath to calm herself and turned back to the goblin.

"Would you like to get your Lady of the House rings? You are now of age so you are the Head of each of those Houses. Holly nodded still silently fuming. After a very lengthy process of receiving each ring separately and then being shown how to merge them all together into one, Holly became one of the richest and most influential witches in the wizarding world. _More unwanted fame_ she thought, scowling.

"Can you remove the magic block?" she asked when they were finally finished.

"Of course. If you'll follow me" Holly walked behind Godrod into a separate chamber that looked like a ritual room. Mirrors lined the circular walls and in the middle there was a circle made up of candles and runes "Stand in the middle of the circle, please" Holly followed the instructions and the goblin left the room saying: "It might hurt"

Indeed it did hurt. Holly felt that being under the Cruciatus curse was like being tickled by a feather compared to the pain she was feeling now. Just when she was about to start screaming the pain left and was replaced by immense pleasure as she felt her magic flowing freely for the first time. It spread throughout the whole room almost as if it was stretching after being suppressed for so long.

Holly could almost say that she felt complete, but it would have been a lie. She knew that the hole that had been left behind by the death of her soulbonded would never go away. Holly realised that she now had two choices: she could either try to learn to live with it or do something about it. There must be a way for her to go back in time or if not she could just decide to end it there and then. Holly sighed, it was time to go back to the library.

* * *

A whole two years had passed since Holly had discovered Dumbledore's betrayal. In this she had learned many things. Most importantly none of her friends had truly been her friends. They had all seen her as a weapon to be used to fight Voldemort and to be discarded as soon as her use was finished.

She also started learning more advanced magic in her quest to find a way back to a time when Voldemort was still alive. So far she hadn't found anything useful but she had improved immensely in her magical skills and had started to master the Vim Amoris. To her the 'power of love' had always sounded stupid, but it was actually extremely dangerous for it gave the wielder extra charisma, made them naturally charming and easily liked by the masses. Holly could now understand why people had easily flocked to her in moments of need. Also she found that she was now able to travel in a similar way to Shadow travel, which Voldemort should have been able to do, but when she used it white smoke appeared instead of black. She was just scratching the surface but she was hopeful that in time she would be able to confidently use the White Arts.

Despite her new abilities and newly released magic, Holly was still not happy. She needed Voldemort to be alive again or the emptiness in her heart would never abide. In desperation she had even started researching if being the owner of the Deathly Hallows could help her to overcome this problem, however there was nothing that helped her to understand how to use them. If she was the Master, well Mistress, of Death shouldn't she be able to control him/her/it?

Holly sighed as she closed yet another useless book and leaned back in her chair.

"If only it was as easy as summoning the Basilisk in the Chambers of Secrets... but it's not like I can just say 'Oh great and powerful Death show yourself before your rightful Mistress, owner of the three Deathly Hallows' and Death will appear before me" Holly mumbled sarcastically to herself.

"Just Death will do" a metallic, whispery voice said from behind her, making her jump a mile in the air. Holly twirled and came face to face with a hooded figure shrouded in darkness that was leaning lightly on a scythe.

"Death?" she asked hesitantly.

"As I am _bound_ to you, you may call me Thanatos" he said with the smallest tilt of his head. "Please... sit" he gestured to the chair Holly had just vacated and gracefully sunk down in the one opposite her. "Took you long enough to figure out how to... _summon_ me" he seemed to frown slightly. It appeared he didn't enjoy being 'summoned'. "However your struggles have provided me with some amusement these last few years" a hint of a smile seemed to touch his lips, but it was hard for Holly to be sure as his face was still obscured "That is one of the only things mortals are good for... entertainment" he drawled "But you are not quite mortal anymore are you? You are, after all, my... _Mistress_" he practically snarled the last word, making Holly flinch slightly in her seat. He definitely did not like being bound. "Regardless... I am here now. What do you wish of me?"

Holly tilted her head slightly to the side and looked determinedly at Death, or Thanatos. "I want to go back to a time when Voldemort was still alive" she said with more confidence than she was actually feeling "I can't say that I don't hate him, but I need to feel whole again"

"Ah... so first you disregard one of the rarest gifts Magic could have bestowed upon you and now you expect me to fix your mistakes when you can't face the consequences. How typically... human" Holly frowned and made to interrupt but Thanatos held up a spidery finger to stop her. "Nevertheless you have collected my Deathly Hallows therefore I have to help you" he continued bitterly. "There is a way for me to send you back without disrupting your lineage too much... I will place impenetrable shields around your mind that will prevent anyone from finding out about your past... or future. Unfortunately you will not be mortal, but you will have to collect my Hallows to be able to once again wield their power, such as _controlling _me" the way Thanatos drawled all this reminded Holly momentarily of Snape and she had to suppress a smile of amusement at the comparison. "You will have to bring back the balance between Light and Dark once more and let me warn you it will not be an easy task... it will, in fact, be extremely arduous" he seemed pleased at the prospect. "Does that solve all your problems?" he asked, with the barest hint of sarcasm.

"It does, thank you" Holly said, disregarding his less than friendly attitude and focusing on the long awaited answer to her problems instead.

"Then farewell for now" and with a snap of his fingers Holly's world went black.

When she opened her eyes again, she wanted to groan in exasperation. Thanatos had sent her into the body of a fifteen year old.

A fifteen year old that was currently facing an angry Grindelwald.

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**A/N: **So how did I do? Let me know :) please review... until next time :D

**Edited 22/8/2013**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hi! Here is the next chapter :) I also edited the first chapter so if you haven't re-read it you might want to before reading this one... anyway for now: on with the story :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything and some of my ideas have come from other fanfictions out there which gave me the inspiration to write my own story.

Again a huge THANK YOU to LaraLumos for all her help editing this chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Holly regained consciousness with a pain filled scream. Her body was being held under the Cruciatus Curse. White-hot knives were piercing every inch of her skin, her head felt like it was going to burst from the pain, her eyes were rolling madly into her head... The pain was so intense, it was on par with what she had suffered at the hands of Voldemort and she knew that whoever was casting the spell must be very powerful.

Suddenly the pain was cut off and Holly breathed in a sigh of relief, finally being able to open her eyes only to find herself in completely unfamiliar surroundings. She was laying on the ground somewhere in the middle of a forest. She could see thick trees all around her and what seemed to be a small cottage in the distance. The more prominent detail, however, were the wizards surrounding her. As she lay, panting on the grass, she could see at least ten people: some dead, three alive.

Nearest to her was a witch, her neck was torn open, a dagger sticking out of her chest: she was drenched in blood, obviously dead. Around her were a few more dead bodies dressed in blue cloaks. More worryingly, however, were the two men, in those same blue cloaks, flanking the wizard that had been casting the Cruciatus on her. And Holly immediately recognised who the wizard was. He was older now, but she could clearly see that he had once been the handsome, golden haired boy, roaring in silent amusement alongside Dumbledore in that old picture published in Skeeter's 'The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore'.

Why in Merlin's name was she in the middle of a confrontation with Gellert Grindelwald?

Holly groaned as she felt her whole body trembling and aching. How did she always get into these situations? She was sure there was someone out there who hated her. Actually, after talking to Thanatos, she now had a pretty good idea of exactly who it was that hated her. Holly was snapped out of her musings when she saw the familiar green light of the Avada Kedavra curse heading towards her. She rolled away out of reflex and jumped to her feet, ignoring the stabs of pain that shot through her at this action. She dodged another Cruciatus and ducked behind the nearest tree.

"You're going to have to do better than that Grindelwald" she called as she looked around for a wand. Surely it had to be there somewhere...

"How dare you? I gave you a chance to join my noble cause and you spat it back in my face! You will die for your defiance!" Grindelwald shouted in obvious rage. Meanwhile Holly had been trying to find anything that could be of use to her since a wand appeared to be a lost cause. Her eyes had landed on the bloodied dagger that was stuck in the woman. It was just close enough that she might be able to get it without too much injury.

Holly took a deep breath and rolled out of her hiding place. Grabbing the knife, feeling it slide wetly from the dead women's chest, Holly asked silently for forgiveness as she hid behind a tree, barely missing the bright red jet of a blood boiling curse. However, whilst she had been distracted, the two blue robed wizards had crept up behind her. Following her instincts, that had always gotten her through life threatening situations, Holly ducked and weaved through the new barrage of curses. Just as one of the wizards was about grab her, Holly's body started to move on its own and, without any conscious thought on her part, she delivered a perfect kick to the nearest wizard while, at the same, turning and stabbing another in the throat, effectively killing him instantly. Turning back to the wizard she had just kicked, she pulled him against her and spun, allowing his body to shield her from yet another killing curse that had been sent her way by Grindelwald. Coming back to her senses Holly realised what she had just done and dropped the dead body as if burned, horrified by her actions. Suppressing the thoughts of guilt that were already starting to assault her, she grabbed one of the fallen wizards' wand and turned back to Grindelwald.

"Only us two left" Holly smiled charmingly at him, twirling her wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" Grindelwald growled. Holly evaporated into white smoke and reappeared behind him.

"Expelliarmus"

Grindelwald whirled around, but he was too slow and his wand flew from his fingers into Holly's waiting hand. As soon as Holly grasped the wand she realised exactly what wand she was holding. She smirked as she felt her magic purr happily as it reconnected with the core of the Elder wand.

Grindelwald snarled angrily. "This is not over" he shouted, activated a Portkey and was whisked away to Merlin knows where.

Holly felt the adrenaline leaving her and she sunk to the ground in exhaustion. She could feel her muscles spasming and her limbs trembling in residual pain from the Cruciatus. She really hated that curse. Leaning her head back against the nearest tree she inspected the dead bodies surrounding her. She looked over at the two men that she had killed and the horror she had been trying to suppress resurfaced. How could she have just killed them in cold blood?

_They were trying to kill you. They would have killed you. _A voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Holly shook her head. That didn't justify it. She could have restrained them. There was no need to kill them.

_And how would you have done that? You had no wand._

Holly shook her head again. It shouldn't have been so easy to take a life. It shouldn't have felt so good to get revenge on her assailants. How had she even been able to kill them? Holly had never studied any kinds of martial arts, she was no good in physical confrontations. What had changed?

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the woman who seemed to have been tortured before she was killed. Judging from her black robes she wasn't one of Grindelwald's followers so she had probably also been fighting against Grindelwald. Holly wondered how they had managed to attract Grindelwald's attention in the first place. She also wondered who the woman was... Suddenly a memory that wasn't hers flew to the front of her mind...

_A woman was standing in front of a building. _Orphelinat _was written in big letters over the door. 'Orphanage' Holly's mind supplied. It seemed that she could now understand french. The woman was very beautiful. Dark red curls cascaded down her back and striking purple eyes were framed by thick eyelashes. She was olive skinned and it was clear that she was not of English descent. She was looking down at a little girl._

_The girl, rather doll-like, looked somewhat similar to an eleven year old Holly. In fact, Holly could clearly see the trademark trades of both the Potter and the Black families: from the high cheek bones, to the pouty mouth. From the hazel coloured eyes, strikingly similar to her father's, to the dark hair remarkably like Bellatrix's. _

_"What's your name, honey?" the woman asked the girl. With a jolt Holly realised that she was speaking french and that again she could understand her. _

_"My name is Lilian" the girl, Lilian, said in a quiet, sweet voice. _

_"Hello Lilian" the woman smiled "My name is Camilla Purlet, can you try and repeat what you just did?" _

_Lilian seemed to look worriedly around her. "The matron doesn't like it when I do that" she said, biting her lip._

_"Please? I promise I won't tell anyone" Camilla insisted. _

_Lilian looked nervously around her again before nodding hesitantly. She lifted her hand and the small doll she had been holding started twirling in the air, dancing to a soundless tune. Camilla smiled softly. _

_"Would you like to come home with me Lilian?" _

_Holly could see the hope shining in the eyes of the little girl. "Do you mean that?" she asked shyly._

_"Of course" _

The memory faded and Holly was left staring at Camilla's dead body again. She was wondering what had happened to the little girl, when suspicion entered her mind. She waved the Elder wand and a simple mirror appeared before her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked upon her reflection. Holly looked like an older version of Lilian, except for her eyes. They were their usual Avada Kedavra green colour. How strange that the eyes would change but nothing else would. Perhaps the old adage was true? That the eyes were the windows to the soul? If so, then it would make sense for a different soul to change the colour of the eyes but Holly could only guess. Regardless, she was glad they were still green as they were the only thing that linked her to her mother.

Lifting her hair out of her face, Holly traced her now bare forehead. Her scar! It was gone! Holly didn't know how she felt about it... There had been a time, before Hogwarts that she had loved that scar, it had been the only thing to make her feel special, different from the Dursleys. But then, when she found out all the fame that came with it, she had hated it, often wishing that it could just disappear. But now that it was actually gone, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. In the end it had become a part of her. Maybe… She mused. Maybe it was better this way. A completely fresh start. She thought, smiling.

Recalling the memory she just watched, it seemed that she was now called Lilian and that she had been saved by Camilla Purlet at the age of eleven. A jolt of grief went through her at the loss of yet another parental figure before she could even get to know her. Suddenly an influx of memories from a life that she never had hit her, causing her to flinch in surprise.

She saw snippets of her life at the orphanage, feared and avoided by everyone, made to have an exorcism, beaten by the matron. It was amazing how similar Lilian's life had been to her own. She then saw flashes of happy memories: learning magic with Camilla, running around the cottage, learning the Dark Arts, blowing out candles for every birthday. Then came the request to join Grindelwald, their refusal, a surprise attack from Grindelwald's followers, driving said followers away, a year spent in hiding, being found by Grindelwald himself, watching Camilla die...

Tears streamed down Holly's face. She moved forward and softly stroked Camilla's hair. "I'm sorry" she whispered hollowly. "I'm so sorry". Holly then transfigured herself a shovel and, just like she had done for Dobby, started manually digging a grave near the biggest looking tree. Holly dug on and on into the blood soaked earth, not noticing as the hours went by, as the light was replaced by a melancholy darkness. When it seemed that the hole was big enough, Holly gently lowered Camilla inside it, settling her down in a way that looked like she could be merely sleeping, most of her wounds hidden from view. She stood back, observing the body of this woman who was at the same time her closest friend but also a complete stranger, she covered her with dirt and carved out her initials in the tree trunk behind her makeshift grave.

Holly then stumbled to the cottage that had been Lilian's most recent home and collapsed on her bed. Exhaustion finally making itself known, she sunk into blissful unconsciousness. She would sort everything else out tomorrow.

The last thought she had was that the hole was almost gone, she didn't feel so empty anymore.

* * *

The next morning Holly searched the apartment for anything that could be of use. She managed to find some money and a trunk full of books in what seemed to be Russian. She guessed that she was currently somewhere in Russia and, not wanting to risk splinching by apparating the long distance to England, she again used what she had learned of the Vim Amoris and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. It was much more comfortable than apparating anyway.

She reappeared just outside Gringotts startling a few passersby. She knew she must have looked a right sight, wearing her bloodied robes. She had never learned how to get stains out of clothes though at least they weren't torn anymore. Now that would be sight to see. Ignoring the weird looks she was receiving, she made her way into the bank. As she walked down the aisle she was hit with a sense of deja vu as she remembered the day she had found out about soul-bonds. She wondered what she would discover today.

She waited patiently in line for her turn and, when she finally reached a free Goblin, she elegantly bowed and greeted him just like Camilla had taught her.

"Merry meet..." she trailed off not knowing the name of the Goblin she was addressing. She still needed to get the hang of the Pureblood etiquette, she thought. As Holly she had never bothered learning any of it, but from Lilian's memories she could see that it was actually quite interesting.

"Botgrod" the goblin supplied with a menacing grin, that Holly assumed meant he was amused. She could never really tell with goblins.

"Merry meet Botgrod, I'm in need of a blood test" she said politely.

"Merry meet. If you will follow me" he said getting up from his chair and motioning for Holly to keep up as he led her to the same room where she had taken her test in the past... err future... whatever.

Holly went through the same process of pricking her finger allowing five drops to fall on the parchment which as before glowed slightly. She waited as Botgrod grabbed the vial filled with the clear liquid that Holly was still not sure what it was, and covered the parchment with it. She watched with bated breath as words started to appear.

_Lilian Violetta Black_

_Blood-status: Pureblood_

_Father: Arcturus Marius Black (Pureblood)_

_Mother: Violetta Sofia Potter (Pureblood - deceased)_

_Magical Heiress to the House of Slytherin (through soulbond)_

_Magical Heiress to the House of Le Fay (through soulbond)_

_Soulbond status: Platonic soulbond to Tom Marvolo Riddle _

_Magical binds: none_

_Total funds: ?_

Holly looked at the parchment and reminded herself that her name was now Lilian. Lilian Black. Lilian Violetta Black. She would have to remember that. She also had to admit that Thanatos was good. She had the exact same ancestry as she did in her timeline.

Holly looked back up to the Goblin that was now staring at her in awe. She assumed that it wasn't every day that ha came across a soul-bonded witch. "Do you by any chance know if the Potters and Blacks are aware of my existence? I was raised in an orphanage you see..." she trailed off. Holly couldn't help but be hopeful that they hadn't known and that now that she was back in England they might get to know her. Her deepest desire had always been to have a family... now it might finally come true.

"No, I don't believe they were aware of your existence" the goblin said extracting a parchment. "Your mother went missing in 1927, the same year that your father married" Holly wondered what had happened between the two, why they couldn't be together...

"Thank you. Will they be alerted to my addition into the family now?" she asked.

"Of course. As a matter of fact, the letters should have already been sent by now" Botgrod said smugly.

"Thank you" Holly said sincerely.

* * *

Holly sat in a room in the Leaky Couldron, clutching the two letters she had received. Her father had written her a very formal letter telling her that he wished to meet her as soon as possible and if she was available for lunch the next day. Her grandparents on her mother's side had written a more friendly letter insisting that she join them for dinner that very evening.

Holly had immediately agreed to both and had gone to buy some wizarding robes since she didn't want to show up in bloodied clothes. _What a great first impression that would make._ She thought with a smirk.

She had chosen an emerald dress for the evening that matched her eyes and had tied her hair back in a semblance of order. Her wand was strapped in an invisible holster on her wrist and the dagger she had used to kill Grindelwald's follower was strapped in another invisible holster on her thigh. She didn't think she would need them, but if nothing else, those long years of war had taught her that it was better to be prepared than sorry. As Mad-Eye Moody would have said, in his usual gravelly voice, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Holly made her way to the fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder.

"Potter Manor" she intoned clearly.

The usual whirlwind of fireplaces flashed past her and she was spat out, landing in a heap of dust in front of her new grandparents.

_So much for first impressions_.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you liked it :) Please keep reviewing and I'll see you next time :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything and some of my ideas have come from other fanfictions out there which gave me the inspiration to write my own story.

**A/N: **So here is the next chapter... As usual thank you to LaraLumos for all her help :)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Marian Potter had been devastated when her daughter had gone missing at the young age of twenty-four. It had happened the day they were supposed to attend the Blacks' wedding. Marian had gone to Violetta's room to wake her up and had found her bed empty. The wardrobe had been hanging open and Marian had been able to see that most of the clothes were missing, only some of the more fancy robes had been left behind. Most of the books had been taken and the previously cluttered desk was bare. There was no note, no message, no clue as to why she had left. Marian had wept that day, sitting in Violetta's lifeless room wondering what had driven her daughter away.

It was almost six months later that Marian was notified of Violetta's death. She didn't think she could ever forget that fateful day. It was the thirty-first of July, 1927. Charlus and Harold had just come in from playing a one on one game of Quidditch. Marian could still remember the joy in Charlus's young eyes as he smugly boasted that he had finally managed to beat his dad. She had been smiling softly as Harold ruffled Charlus's black locks, so similar to his own, when a proud, black owl had made his way through the window, dropping a black envelope in her hands. Her breath had escaped her in a rush as she looked, wide eyed, at the letter. She knew exactly what would be written inside, knew that a black envelope was sent only for one reason. And sure enough when her trembling fingers had managed to extract the letter, she read the news of her daughter's death through blurry eyes.

Marian had trembled and fallen backwards, barely acknowledging the arms of her husband that had prevented her from collapsing on the floor. The reason of her death was unknown. The location of her body was unknown. Everything was unknown. She had only known that she was gone. Her beautiful, sweet daughter was gone. Her darling Violetta would never come back to her.

Following the arrival of the letter, the family grieved as one for the next whole month. They hardly ever left the manor and barely talked to anyone.

It was difficult, the grief was all-consuming but they knew however, that it should not, could not, go on. That they had to face reality. And so Charlus started his second year at Hogwarts, Harold returned to his Auror job and Marian went back to her job as a photographer for the Daily Prophet. They carried on with their lives, but they never forgot about Violetta. Her room had been left untouched and she was always with them in their hearts: a bittersweet memory.

Now, fifteen years later, Marian finds out that her sweet Violetta had birthed a daughter. A daughter with Arcturus Black. The letter from Gringotts had awakened all kinds of emotions in Marian. A longing to connect with her unknown granddaughter, sadness at the way she reminded her of her daughter, confusion upon discovering of her existence, frustration that Violetta had not been comfortable enough to confide in her and some much awaited understanding as to why Violetta had left in the first place.

Marian had immediately contacted Harold and Charlus with the news and made them promise to be there for dinner to meet the new addition to the family. And so, it was with much anticipation that Marian, Harold, Charlus and his wife Dorea gathered around the fireplace, waiting to catch a glimpse of Violetta's daughter.

As the large, century-old grandfather clock struck seven, the Floo flared green and a girl was violently spat out, landing atop the burgundy carpet in a heap of dust. The most gorgeous green eyes blinked sheepishly at her and a soft blush adorned the face that was so similar to Violetta's it was almost painful to look at. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling slightly in her haste, and smoothed out the emerald dress she was wearing. She then looked up and smiled shyly.

Marian already loved her.

* * *

Holly self-consciously looked around the room, an elegant entrance hall that, whilst extravagant, didn't flaunt the Potters' wealth. The floor was covered in a burgundy carpet that felt very soft to the touch, Holly would know since she had been sprawled over it just moments before, and the walls were a cream colour. There were a couple of landscape paintings and one big window that showed a glimpse of the grounds outside.

Her gaze snapped to her relatives, scattered around the Hall, who seemed to be looking at her in a mixture of amusement, shock and grief. Holly guessed she must look similar to her mother. She cleared her throat slightly and stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Ho-honoured to be here. My name's Lilian. Lilian Black" she said, holding out a hand and mentally congratulating herself on her save. She really needed to start thinking of herself as Lilian or else she would mess up one of these days. She snapped to attention as the woman nearest to her rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry dear, you look so much like your mother that it took us by surprise. It's so good to meet you. I'm Marian and this is my husband Harold, we are your grandparents" she said, not letting go of Holly who was basking in the warmth of her embrace. Marian reminded Holly slightly of Molly Weasley. She had the same motherly air around her, though appearance wise they couldn't be more different. Marian had the aristocratic face of a Pureblood. Her high cheekbones were framed by straight, chestnut hair and light grey eyes smiled warmly at her. Over her shoulder Holly could see that Harold Potter had the traditional Potter hair and warm hazel eyes. He seemed very easy going and was smiling at his wife's antics.

"And this is my son Charlus and his wife Dorea" Marian continued, pointing at the couple standing in the corner. _Why do those names sound familiar? _Holly ran the names through her mind and with a jolt she realised that they would have been her grandparents in her previous life.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all" Holly said politely if slightly awkwardly.

Dinner went extremely well in Holly's opinion. Her grandparents had wanted to know all about her. Where she had grown up, where she had learnt magic, why she had decided to come back to England and so on. Holly patiently recounted Lilian's life, noticing again how similar it was to her own. Her relatives had been thankful to finally know how Violetta had died: giving birth to her. They had been shocked when she told them of her treatment at the orphanage. And when she told them about her latest confrontation with Grindelwald Marian, or grandma as she had been told to call her, had started crying while everyone else had been suitably impressed with her bravery.

"You mean you actually managed to beat the Dark Lord?" Charlus asked her with wide eyes. He reminded Holly of Sirius and she had instantly taken a liking to him.

"I guess so" she said embarassedly.

"Brilliant!"

"Charlus Potter! Lilian barely survived with her life and lost her mentor and you say brilliant? Have you no tact?" Marian exclaimed. Charlus immediately lowered his eyes and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"It's ok. Really, no harm done." Holly immediately said, trying to rectify the situation.

"Oh honey I'm so sorry. I can't believe what you have had to go through in your short life. I just wish we would have known about you sooner. Then none of this would have happened. If you ever need anything you know where to find us." Marian said tearfully.

"That reminds me. Where are you sleeping tonight?" Harold asked her.

"Oh I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron and tomorrow I will meet my father for lunch" Holly said sweetly.

"Nonsense!" Marian immediately exclaimed. "You can stay here tonight"

"But all my stuff is over there..."

"We'll send Tippy to get it" Marian said waving a hand. "Tippy!" she called.

"Yes Mistress Marian?" a young house-elf, that judging from the higher pitched voice was a female, materialised before them.

"Can you fetch all of Lilian's belongings and bring them to the guest room, please?" she asked kindly.

"Tippy be getting Mistress Marian's guest's things right away Mistress Marian" she said, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Thank you Tippy" and with a pop she was gone.

"Thank you so much" Holly said happily.

"There is nothing to thank me for. We are family" Marian exclaimed. And with those words Holly felt any of the remaining tension caused by the fear of rejection fade away. A radiant smile made its way onto her face, making her eyes glow with happiness and her magic purr contentedly.

* * *

Arcturus Black was pacing backwards and forwards in the private room he had reserved in the Leaky Cauldron as he waited for his daughter to arrive. The only sound heard was of his polished black shoes clicking against the hardwood floor. His eyes were roaming unseeingly around the room, barely noticing the table that took up most of the space or the dark blue curtains that hung around the only window, providing some colour to the otherwise barren room.

Arcturus gracefully sunk down in one of the rickety chairs, sneering in derision at its sorry state, and allowed his mind to wander. He still remembered Violetta. How could he forget the Gryffindor girl whose eyes still haunted his dreams? He could perfectly recall the moment they first met; Arcturus had been in his sixth year at Hogwarts. And naturally, he was at the very top of the Slytherin hierarchy. Thanks to his ancestry and good looks, he had been labelled the Slytherin prince and no one ever stood up to him or his gang of friends. That was until Violetta came along.

He had been making fun of a little fourth year mudblood. He had been told that she had a _crush_ on him so he had pretended to like her. He even took her out on a date so that later on he would let her down harshly, telling her that he would never be interested in a filthy mudblood like her. It was obviously deserved; thinking that there was even a small possibility that he might like her was laughable and she was all the more fool for thinking so. As he was telling her precisely that, in not so nice words of course, Violetta had stormed around the corner. She had taken one look at her sobbing friend and marched up to him until she was right in his face.

"You are nothing but a disgusting pig with an ego the size of Europe! I'm surprised your own mother can even stand to be in the same room as you!" she had shouted, just before she slapped him in the face and stormed away with her little friend.

Arcturus had been so shocked he just stood in the corridor for a few minutes, one hand holding his throbbing cheek and mouth hanging open in a completely undignified way. Even afterwards, when he had finally managed to compose himself, he had been unable to muster the outrage that would have been appropriate for the situation. But more importantly, he had been unable to get her flashing hazel eyes out of his mind.

He had sought her out a few times after the incident, intent on punishing her for her unacceptable behaviour, but it seemed that she was unaffected by his insults. At first she simply ignored him and later on she started finding witty comebacks for everything he said, insulting him right back. Arcturus should have been angered by this and yet his strange fascination with her just increased.

As they grew older their bantering turned into a tentative friendship which was put on hold when he got engaged. The marriage had been arranged by his parents as was customary in Pureblood families and Arcturus liked Melania well enough, so he found no reason to object to the match in any way. However, Melania was extremely jealous and demanded that he stopped spending time with his 'Gryffindor pet' as she had referred to Violetta. Not wanting to start things off on the wrong foot, he had acquiesced to her wishes.

And so, after Hogwarts Arcturus and Violetta lost all contact. He only saw her again exactly three months before the wedding. He was taking care of some business in Diagon Alley, when Violetta had run into him as she was trying to escape from a filthy wizard who had cornered her. Arcturus had felt his blood boil at the sight and blasted the wizard away. As he approached her, Violetta had looked up at him with relieved eyes full of trust and affection, her pouty lips forming a thankful smile and in that moment Arcturus realised that he was in love with her, that he had always been in love with her.

Before he had realised what he was doing, Arcturus found himself pulling her against him, covering her lips with his own. Berating himself for his sudden impulsiveness, he had made to pull away immediately, but he was stopped by a small moan and the tightening of Violetta's arms around his neck. Losing all semblance of control he had apparated them away to one of the many empty Black properties. That night she had given herself to him as he whispered sweet words of love in her ear. She had been his first just as he had been hers and in his opinion it had been perfect.

When he had awoken the next day he had been alone. He realised with a pang that Violetta must have left during the night and hated himself for being upset that he didn't get to wake up next to her. That night was the last time he ever saw Violetta. He had invited her to the wedding and had been disappointed, but not too surprised, when she didn't make it. That disappointment turned to worry when he found out that she had ran away. He had immersed himself in his work at the Ministry, playing the role of the perfect Pureblood husband in an attempt to forget that night, to forget the worry and longing he felt whenever he thought of her.

The day he was told of Violetta's death he had turned into a wreck. Melania had been pregnant at the time but he couldn't even find it within himself to be excited about the upcoming birth of an heir. He had fallen in a depression for months and it only eased when his beautiful daughter was born. Yet he had never forgotten Violetta. She had been and always would be the love of his life.

Years later, when he received the letter telling him he had a daughter, Arcturus had wept. That night he had fathered a child and he hadn't even known. Cancelling all his meetings for the next day Arcturus had immediately made arrangements to meet the girl, his last link to Violetta.

And so, here he was, perched on a chair that had been previously used by Merlin knows who, in a filthy barren room of the Leaky Cauldron, which he normally only ever went to if he had no other choice, waiting for his daughter to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long before an almost exact replica of Violetta came round the corner. To Arcturus however, she looked far more beautiful than her mother. A feat he thought to be impossible. He could clearly see the Black family traits in her dark hair and pale complexion, they showed him that she was _his_ as much as she was Violetta's and that thought alone filled him with joy. As she approached him, he could not miss the mesmerising emerald eyes that gave her an exotic beauty and that were, at that moment, nervously scanning the room.

Arcturus was pleased to see she was wearing wizarding robes looking almost as a Pureblood witch should. His brow furrowed at the slight wrinkles on her dress, at the strands of hair that were beginning to fall out of her bun and at the low quality of the material of the dress. That wouldn't do. He would have to fix it immediately. No daughter of his would wear less than the best.

* * *

Holly immediately spotted Arcturus Black as soon as she stepped into the room. He seemed impassive, as he watched her make her way towards him, looking her up and down but not allowing any kind of emotion to show on his face.

When Holly stopped right in front of him, he didn't say a word. His eyes bored into hers, examining every single detail of her appearance. Feeling extremely awkward, Holly coughed slightly.

"Hello, I'm H-Lilian... your daughter" she was horrified to hear her voice shake slightly and she only now she realised how much she wanted him to like her.

Suddenly his emotionless mask broke and grief, joy, amazement flashed in his eyes as they softened considerably. He ran a finger gently down her face.

"My daughter" he said, almost as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "You look so much like your mother... so beautiful..."

Holly could feel herself blushing under his gentle caress and she shyly smiled at him.

"Where have you been all this time?" Arcturus asked her.

"I was raised in an orphanage in France, sir. My mother died giving birth to me, you see" she said. Arcturus looked horrified.

"An orphanage? A _muggle _orphanage? We must rectify this immediately! Where is this orphanage exactly?" he demanded.

"Oh, I haven't lived there in many years. When I was eleven a witch, Camilla Purlet, found me and taught me about magic." Holly said with a slight smile.

"Where is this Camilla Purlet? Is she a mudblood? Or worse, a blood traitor?" Arcturus looked around as if expecting her to suddenly appear. Holly bit her tongue to not snap at her father.

"Please don't use that term. Just because newbloods have been raised by muggles doesn't mean they don't deserve our respect." Holly said as politely as she could manage, however her voice had turned slightly colder and she felt her eyes narrowing.

To her surprise Arcturus just looked amused. "You really are your mother's daughter. She used to give me a similar speech every time I mentioned the word, although I never heard of the term newblood..." he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I came up with it" Holly said, blushing slightly. "I thought it was more appropriate than muggleborn or mudblood"

Arcturus chuckled, making more heat rush to Holly's face.

"As for Camilla... she... she was a Dark half-blood witch. She... she died a few days ago" Holly bowed her head sadly "That's why I came back to England. Grindelwald killed her" she said, looking up at him through long eyelashes.

"My condolences..." he said. "How did you survive? Did you portkey away to safety?" He asked, leaning forward in curiosity, and in what she hoped was worry.

"No! I fought him and _he_ was the one to portkey away, sir" Holly said, slightly annoyed once more. As if she would _run away _like a coward when someone else was in danger.

"You beat Grindelwald? The Dark Lord Grindelwald?" At Holly's nod Arcturus' eyes flashed proudly. "You must be very good at duelling" he commented, making Holly blush again and look down self-consciously.

"You must come home with me" he suddenly commanded, leaving no room for argument. "There will be a ball thrown in your honour, as is customary when introducing a new Pureblood into society. And we will need to buy you a new wardrobe" he said, looking at what Holly was wearing. "Only the best for my daughter. And of course you will have to be enrolled in Hogwarts. How old are you?"

"I just turned fifteen" Holly said feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"You will be in the same year as my oldest daughter then. I'm sure you and Lucretia will get along splendidly." he mused.

"Are you sure? Won't your wife and children mind if you just show up with me?" she asked nervously. She didn't want to cause any problems.

"They will just have to adjust. Come along now." he said, grabbing her arm and with a loud crack they apparated away.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed that... please leave a review: they make me very happy :D

Till next time :)


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